Ski boot



H. LUDWIG Jan. 11, 1966 SKI BOOT Filed April 50, 1964 jnvenfar: H Luci Arrys United States Patent Ofiice 3,228,122 Patented Jan. 11, 1966 3 Claims. to. 36-25) This invention relates to a ski boot which comprises tn outer boot which includes a sole and a boot upper, and in additional inner boot with a boot sole and a boot upper hat has a preferably thinner sole.

Ski boots of the aforementioned type are already :nown. In such boots, the outer boot usually consists of 'obust and relatively stitf leather to which the sole, which generally comprises a plurality of layers, is secured by neans of a double seam. The connection between the inter boot and the sole must be carried out particularly :arefully since in a ski boot this connection is subjected o considerable mechanical strain, for example by the ki-binding from which a tensioning rope on the rear )art of the boot passes over the edge of the sole. The manufacture of the entire sole is therefore complicated and involves considerable expenditure.

The inner boot may be connected in various ways with he outer boot. In a very frequently adopted form of 'ealization, the inner boot is formed without a special sole 1nd the inner boot upper is secured only by its lower edge the outer boot upper or to the outsole together with the mist boot upper.

A further problem in the known ski boots employing m outer and an inner boot is the considerable influences )f snow and especially of snow slush. When skiing, ski )OOlZS are always immersed to a certain extent in the snow, )wing to which they get permeable after some time, es- :ecially when the snow is thawing, even if carefully reated with impregnating agents. Moisture will penerate not only in the region of the uppers but above all n the region of the seams, for example, in the region of he connecting seam between the upper of the boot and he bottom sole.

It is the object of the present invention to eliminate the tforementioned disadvantages of the known ski boots. To achieve this object, the invention proposes to make he outer boot of one piece of vulcanized rubber and the nner boot of one piece of leather.

According to another solution of the present invention, he outer boot may be made of plastic, preferably by in ection molding, while the inner boot may consist of eather.

With the inner boot consisting of leather, a ski boot :onstructed as proposed by the invention has the advanages of a conventional ski boot but avoids the disadvanages thereof in that the outer boot consists of vulvanized ubber or plastic. The outer boot is absolutely imperneable to moisture, also in the region of the junction beween the boot upper and the bottom sole. A further adantage of the instant ski boot is that it can be manufacured much more easily than the known ski boots since t is possible to form the outer boot around the inner boot iy injection molding, the inner boot being placed into a uitable die. Naturally, the inner and outer boots can e interconnected by vulcanizing. The ski boot proposed )y the invention may be constructed in the ame manner .s the known ski boots, the only difference being that the uter boot is made of plastic or rubber and of unitary :onstruction, as illustrated.

According to an advantageous feature of the invention, he inner boot may be glued into the outer boot. But the nner boot may also be connected to the outer boot by mlcanizing.

According to a further proposal of the invention, the inner and outer boots may be interconnected by their soles. But it is also possible that the inner and outer boots are interconnected only near their soles. To improve the durability of the connection between the inner and outer boots, the invention proposes that interlocking studs and recesses are provided in the surface of the soles facing each other.

Two embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a ski boot according to the invention, and

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view, partly in section, of another embodiment of the ski boot proposed by the invention.

FIG. 1 shows a ski boot according to the invention which comprises an outer boot 10 and an inner boot 11. The outer boot 10 consists of vulcanized rubber or plastic preferably applied to the inner boot 11 by injection molding and comprises a boot upper 12 and a sole 13 of unitary construction. Since the boot upper 12 and the sole 13 expediently consist of rubber or plastic, no seam in the sense of the hitherto customary ski boots is formed along a junction 14 between the sole 13 and the boot upper 12 or at the point 14a as shown more clearly at the heel portion of FIG. 2. The upper part of the boot leg 12 may be laced both in front, through apertures 16, and at the back, through similar apertures 17. Since the inner boot is formed by soft leather, the part of the boot upper 12 which is located above the heel may pass around the inner boot upper 11 without forming a seam as illustrated in FIG. 2.

According to the invention, the inner boot 11 and the outer boot 10 may be connected in various ways. For example, the soles of the inner and outer boots may be glued together or connected by vulcanizing. But instead of that also the upper portions of the inner and outer boots may be connected with each other. A dash-anddot line 15 in FIG. 1 indicates that the upper portions of the inner and outer boots are interconnected, for example by gluing, vulcanizing or injection molding, in a Zone adjacent the sole 13.

A further advantageous possibility of connecting the inner and outer boots is shown in FIG. 2. In this embodiment the inner boot has a sole 16a provided with transversely extending elongated studs 17a of dovetailed cross section. For example, these studs 17a may be strips of leather or the like, which have been attached by gluing but they may also be formed directly out of the sole 16a of the inner boot 11a.

The outsole 13a, which in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 consists of plastic, is attached to the sole 16a of the inner boot 11a by injection molding so that the plastics material encloses the studs 17a and provides a secure undetachable connection between the inner boot 11a and the outer boot 12a. The studs 17a may also have any other convenient cross section.

In the front part of the ski boot, a tongue 18 (FIG. 1) is provided on the inner boot 11 and a similar tongue 19 is arranged on the outer boot 10 and may consist either of leather, rubber or plastic, the tongue on the outer boot 12a of FIG. 2 being designated by the reference character 19a.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the ap pended claims rather than by the foregoing description and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

I claim:

1. A moisture-proof ski boot comprising a moisture impermeable outer boot having an integral sole and a boot upper and a one-piece soft boot positioned within the outer boot and comprising a boot upper and sole, a portion of the outside surface of said inner boot being permanently attached to the interior surface of said outer boot, the permanent attachment between the inner boot and outer boot being located between the sole of the inner boot and the sole of the outer boot.

2. A moisture-proof boot as in claim 1 wherein the permanent attachment between the outer and inner boots is effected by interlocking studs and recesses formed on sole portions of the inner boot and outer boot.

3. A moisture-proof ski boot as set forth in claim 2 wherein the outer boot is formed of a plastic material having recesses in the inner surface of the sole portion within which studs from the sole portion of the inner.

boot are received.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,019,534 2/1962 Kautfman et a1. 3615 3,050,874 8/1962 Silombra 36112 FOREIGN PATENTS 706,305 3/1931 France.

1,034,116 4/1953 France.

95 2,420 11/ 1956 Germany. 1,007,668 5/1957 Germany.

FRANK I. COHEN, Primary Examiner.

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Examiner. 

1. A MOISTURE-PROOF SKI BOOT COMPRISING A MOISTURE IMPERMEABLE OUTER BODY HAVING AN INTEGRAL SOLE AND A BOOT UPPER AND A ONE-PIECE SOFT BOOT POSITIONED WITHIN THE OUTER BOOT AND COMPRISING A BOOT UPPER AND SOLE, A PORTION OF THE OUTSIDE SURFACE OF SAID INNE BOOT BEING PERMANENTLY ATTACHED TO THE INTERIOR SURFACE OF SAID OUTER BOOT, THE PERMANENT ATTACHMENT BETWEEN THE INNER BOOT 